Report may doom West Lafayette City Hall

Offices in West Lafayette City Hall began to empty in February because of mold problems. They now are in the police department, Morton Community Center and Fire Station No. 1. It appears unlikely that the building will be used again.
(Photo:
File photo/Journal & Courier
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The report from a construction consultant on the mold problem inside West Lafayette City Hall likely will seal the fate of the building.

That’s comes as no surprise to city officials, who vacated the building last winter after discovering a pervasive mold problem.

The report, which is due this week, will spell out in cold, hard numbers that repairing and renovating the 40-year-old building is not feasible. The report lands as city officials begin discussions with insurance adjusters, said Tim Clark, West Lafayette facility manager.

“I do have a meeting with the insurance company today or tomorrow,” Clark reported to the Board of Works during Tuesday’s meeting. “We hope to have the report in our hands so when we sit down with the (insurance) adjuster, we can talk about what’s going on at city hall.”

Mayor John Dennis said, referring to consultants, “Based on conversations that I’ve had, I’m not anticipating relocating back into that building without it being very, very expensive.

“It does look like that particular facility is either going to be cost-prohibitive to retrofit and have us back in or, generally speaking, the building itself, because of the size restrictions, parking requirements and ADA requirements, would be cost-prohibitive to go back into.”

City officials began moving offices out of the building in the 600 block of Navajo Street on Feb. 6.

A pipe ruptured in early January during a cold snap. A second pipe ruptured a couple of weeks later. During cleanup of the second rupture, high levels of mold spores were detected in the basement. Elevated spore counts also were registered on the main floor and second floor.

To make the building functional, Dennis said, it likely will require a complete gutting. The rebuild would require installation of new heating and air conditioning units, new wiring to accommodate today’s technology, as well as substantial expenses to renovate the building to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, including installation of amplification devices for the hearing impaired.

On March 12, the West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission approved spending $40,000 in tax increment finance funds to hire Tecton Construction Management of Lafayette to inspect city hall and prepare a report that includes options. That is the report expected this week.

“We will then review the numbers and see specifically what our next option may be,” Dennis said. “The question is how much would it cost for us to continue to use that facility.”

Last year, Dennis openly discussed the possibility of moving city hall to Morton Community Center on Chauncey Avenue between North and Columbia streets. Part of the reason was to create a downtown district in the Village area, Dennis said last year.

On Tuesday, Dennis was hesitant to comment on whether that plan is now on the fast track, given that it’s unlikely the Navajo Street building will be inhabited again. He explained he understood that discussions about moving city hall must be done in a “methodical and public manner.”

For the meantime, city offices will remain spread out between the police department, Morton Community Center and Fire Station No. 1.

Where are they now?

Here's a list of West Lafayette city departments and meeting locations: